Our first kiss -- Nine years ago!

I'll never ever forget the emotions I experienced as I was walking down the isle to marry my husband. I really don't remember looking at anyone (except for one friend who reminded me to smile :/) but I DO remember having some legit concerns. Here are the true memoirs of a bride (well, of this bride, anyway). I was worried SICK about two things: 1. making the ugly-cry face ... because let's be real. I'm extremely emotional, and 2. falling as I walked down the isle. Thankfully, my dad lent a good arm. But I kid you not, the very moment I saw Adam as I was walking towards him, literally all of that washed away. I knew in that very instant that everything was perfect in my world. I was making the right decision -- scratch that -- the best decision of my life.

So, this year on our dating anniversary (today!), Adam and I have been together for 9 years! It's fun to reflect back on how much he and I have grown and matured into the people we are today. In honor of this special day, I've decided to write a tribute on why my love for him continues to grow stronger and stronger as time passes by. Here goes...

Adam loves to read. He reads all the time. He's definitely smarter than me. Maybe the fact that he's smarter than me isn't much reason to love him more and more every day, but I do love an intelligent man and Adam certainly qualifies as one. In truth, he should be the one pursuing a higher degree ... I'm doing it only because I'm studious and interested in the medical field. Adam is naturally good at school and learning and understanding.

Adam has a sense of direction like no other. You could pick him up and put him anywhere and he could find his way home. I don't know how he does it and I'll never understand it, but I'm immensely thankful for it because I panic when I'm lost.

Adam lets me know regularly how much he loves me and he always makes me feel sexy an beautiful. I love the way he loves me.

He values my health and constantly checks me on it. Adam knows the importance of exercise and eating healthfully and honest to God, without him in my life right now, I have no idea what I would look like in this regard. He honestly saved me all those years ago!

Along those same lines, Adam can cook! I mean like ... for real. Do you know how much of a blessing that is?? Because although I'm learning s-l-o-w-l-y, I still consider myself a non-cooker. I'm very thankful for this. All of my PA school friends are very jealous. :)

Adam genuinely takes interests in things that I do. He loves spending time with me and doing things with me and encouraging me. And I love him for that.

He puts up with me -- and knows how to handle me. I can be pretty hard headed and hot headed (I get it honest) and sometimes just a straight up bitch. At times I'm moody and at times I'm overly emotional/sensitive/hormonal. But thankfully, nine years later, he's still around. He's learned what to do or not do, say or not say and almost all of the time I apologize for how I've acted and thank him for pulling us both through -- alive.

Adam loves to whistle and sing and dance and play guitar and trombone -- he's very entertaining and talented and fun! Somehow he's just very musically inclined. During almost any conversation that he's having with anyone, if something that's said reminds him of a song, he'll start singing away. He has such a huge music library in his brain (head ;) that it's common "regular" people don't know what he's singing. Adam just shakes his head at them and continues on with the conversation.

Adam has made huge sacrifices for my happiness and success. This one is a true testament of his love for me. Literally everything that Adam has done in the past year has been for my benefit directly. It started with him closing his gym, which he poured his heart and soul into for several years. He then moved to Bham 2.5 months before I did and started a job at a bank, which was completely unrelated to any of his interests or experiences that he'd ever had before. And thanks to his job, he's paid for almost all of our living expenses while I've been in school.

He and I are growing individually-- and together -- in our relationships with God. Shortly after our wedding we found a church (Athens Church -- a strategic partner of Andy Stanley's churches in Atlanta) that we both love and, I don't know how to stress this enough, our lives have changed immensely for the better since then. Unbelievably, after we started attending Athens Church in Athens, we found out that there was also a strategic partner in Birmingham which also delivers services from Andy Stanley. It's called Redstone Church. The fact that Adam enjoys these churches as much as I do means a whole bunch. In fact, it was at Redstone Church during a Compassion Sunday Service that Adam suggested we become sponsors for a little girl in Peru. We've been in communication with and praying for Maria ever since.

This coming April will be our second wedding anniversary. I will forever be thankful to be married to this man that I literally prayed to God for more than 12 years ago. Adam had my heart shortly after I met him my freshman year of high school, but for reasons that no longer matter, Adam was preoccupied. I prayed and prayed, and finally God delivered ... it wasn't until my junior year of high school that he kissed me for the first time, nine years ago today. :) And Lord knows, we've been through some pretty heavy stuff since then -- amazing, good, bad, and real ugly -- that has brought us to where we are today. We've learned a lot about each other, from each other, about ourselves, and about what it means to love and be loved. Although it's been hard at times, I wouldn't change a thing. I love you, ATH! With my whole heart.

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